Deerfield, IL – State Senator Julie Morrison has been appointed to the Illinois Council on Aging – the body charged with overseeing the activities of the state’s Department on Aging.

“As the Baby Boomers age, we’re going to need to focus more and more on the resources available to seniors,” the Deerfield Democrat said. “Seniors have special needs, and we need to do what we can to make sure that all people can live out their lives with comfort and dignity.”

The 31-member council is made up of appointed citizens and legislators. They review the Department on Aging’s long-term plans and annual fiscal reports. They are also charged with evaluating all of the state’s services for seniors and submitting their own independent report to the governor and legislature.

Morrison believes that the council can push Aging to improve its transparency and accountability.

“It’s a bit disconcerting that the most recent ‘annual report’ on the department’s website is from 2010,” the senator said. “When the health and safety of such a vulnerable population is at stake, we can and should do better.”

Though she has just begun serving in the Illinois Senate, Morrison has already built a solid record of protecting people who cannot protect themselves and improving transparency.

She serves as Chair of the Senate Human Services Subcommittee on Issues Relating to the Department of Family Services. In this role, she intends to find legislative solutions that will allow DCFS to improve its services for vulnerable children. She is in the process of scheduling hearings for the fall.

Morrison also has passed legislation that will improve the transparency of state government. One measure requires lobbyists to disclose their ultimate clients so that large companies can’t hide the number of people they have trying to influence legislators. The other requires the governor to post the current budget online in a timely manner.